This is not an official list from the Ubuntu Team

Dec 22, 2015 10:54 GMT  ·  By

Ubuntu Touch is still considered a young platform, so there aren't many native applications available for it. The guys from the unofficial app store for Ubuntu, the uApp Explorer, have put together a list of desired applications for this mobile operating system, and there are at least a few surprises among them.

The biggest problem for any new mobile operating systems built from scratch is the lack of native applications for some of the big services that are already present on other systems. This makes it really difficult to have a breakthrough in the market, if you're not a behemoth with a lot of money to spend.

Even though a new mobile OS is fast and interesting, if it doesn't have native applications, it won't survive for long because it can't cannibalize the other ones. For example, some people will never move to Ubuntu OS is they can't use WhatsApp. This is an important app that's not present on Ubuntu, and there is no indication that it might happen anytime soon.

Say what you want for Ubuntu Touch

The list available on the uApp Explorer is not an official one, but it can provide some data about what people actually want to see ported for Ubuntu. There is, at least, one surprise that's been revealed by the votes that have been cast so far.

From the looks of it, the most requested application is Firefox, followed by WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. The Firefox choice is a weird one, but at least, people know what they want. As for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, these won't happen anytime soon since they require to remain active in the memory while not in use, and that's not permitted just yet on Ubuntu.

Take a closer look at the wish list on uApp Explorer and make sure that you scroll to the options at the end. Enjoy!